A Hero's End?
by Blank402
Summary: [ONESHOT]'I tried so hard...I tried so hard to be a hero. But...was I ever able to change? Was I ever able to... be like you? '


Heart pounding. Body shaking. Breath quick and sharp.

He stands at the top of a set of stairs, his back up against the wall. He holds his wand out in front of him, grasping it tightly in both of his shaking hands.

He can easily hear them around the corner. Every rustle of their cloaks, every scrape of their boots, every whisper of their voices. It all sends an intense fear throughout his body, a sensation that starts in his chest, clenching painfully around his heart, then moves thorough his veins, simultaneously lighting him on fire and freezing him, finally, it reaches his brain, a feeling so intense it nearly causes him to black out.

It's all too intense for him. He knows he isn't built for this. He never wanted it. He wanted an easy life, something he could be proud of, but not something that involved so much risk.

And as he thinks about it all, he realizes that it's unavoidable, he's here, they're there, and there's nothing he can do about it.

It's at this moment that Neville Longbottom realizes that he is going to die.

He quickly casts a look down the set of stairs. Escape seems quite possible. It's all just a matter of quietly rushing down the stairs before the Death Eaters discover him. But he knows it's futile. He knows that all he would accomplish by running would be delaying the inevitable. Voldemorts forces have swarmed the castle of Hogwarts. There is nowhere to hide. If Neville runs around the castle, he is bound to run into more Death Eaters, and it is a guarantee that he will find more outside.

There's no decision to be made, Neville Longbottom knows he is going to die. Yet, knowing it for a fact doesn't ease his mind any. His body continues to shake horribly and tears squeeze out of his eyes.

_What do I do? What do I do?_

Neville looks up towards the ceiling, through the ceiling and outside to the heavens that surround the earth, as if he might find answers there. He fearfully listens as the Death Eaters finish their search on a classroom and move onto another. There are only two more rooms to be searched until they reach him.

_What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? What…_

His thoughts stop momentarily as an image of a hero flashes through his mind.

…_What would _he_ do?_

He closes his eyes and allows his memories to run through his mind.

_Harry sat before the entire D.A on the day of Halloween, 1997. The day he left Hogwarts on his search for the Horcruxes…and the day he told everyone about the prophecy._

_Everyone stared at him, at a loss for words._

"_Tha-That's impossible," Seamus spoke up, "Bloody Divination, it's all rubbish."_

_Harry laughed slightly, "I wish that were true, Seamus, but I have to do this."_

"_But Harry!" Pavarti spoke up, "How can you even think of challenging V-V-Voldemort?"_

_Harry smiled at her use of Voldemorts name; it was one of the first things he had decided to teach them this year. "I can't tell you exactly, because not even I know, but I will tell you this: I will use every power in my body to make sure that he goes down. Not because of the prophecy, but because it's what's right. I…I'll…die... if I have to."_

_The entire group stared at Harry with unhidden shock, and a little bit of admiration._

Neville flashes back to reality as he hears more noise from the Death Eaters.

_Will-Will I be able to do that, Harry? To... be able to die for what's right?_

Neville looks down at his shaking hands and then quickly turns his eyes away from them.

_How can I be a-a hero like Harry, IF I CAN'T EVEN STOP SHAKING?_

His hands only shake harder in response.

_I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING! I PROMISED HARRY THAT I WOULD PROTECT THIS SCHOOL AND THE PEOPLE IN IT! I HAVE TO DO IT…but... it's so…hard._

"_There will come a time when you will all have to make a choice between what's right and what's easy. I hold high belief that you will all make the right choice."_

Neville's heart nearly stops as the quote flows through him as if Harry is standing right next to him. The quote Harry had given all of them right before he had left Hogwarts. And suddenly, Neville knows what he has to do. He had always known what he had to do, but he didn't want to do it. Now, though, it becomes clear to him. Harry was counting on him to do the right thing, and he'd be damned if he was ever going to let Harry down.

And so, slowly, Neville walks. His legs shake and his heart is about to explode from his chest, but still he walks out into the open hallway with tears rushing down his face.

"Well what have we here?" One Death Eater asks.

Neville remains silent.

"Hey, you guys, we've got a live one here." Several Death Eaters rush out of a nearby room with their wands drawn.

His whole body shakes more as they all take aim at him.

"Heh, this ones a cry baby. What are you doing here, crybaby? Shouldn't you have been evacuated with the rest of the children?"

Neville remains silent, but slowly, shakily raises his wand.

"Oh, is the baby gonna curse us? I'm so scared." The Death Eater mocks.

Neville brings his face up to stare at the men before him. His eyes infinitely sad, yet still there is a set determination behind them. _"R-Reducto" _He stutters out. The spell sails through the air and impacts the lead, taunting Death Eater dead in the chest with multiple cracks.

His friends waste no time in retaliating, _"Avada Kedavra!"_

The green killing curse hurtles toward Neville with deadly accuracy. He tries to dodge to the side like he was taught in the DA, but his shaking legs just cause him to trip, barley avoiding the spell.

"Filthy brat." One of the Death Eaters spits, _"Crucio!" _

The knives tear into Neville's skin without mercy. He writhes and convulses on the ground, and the Death Eaters laugh haughtily. Neville can't count the time as the curse makes its rounds on him. Each second feels like an eternity, and his whole world is pain. He soon finds himself not being capable of thought, what thought that had been able to pierce through the pain of the curse slowly slips away from him.

Soon, as Neville's pain racked mind begins to deteriorate even further, it all disappears. He stares up at the ceiling above him blankly. He tries to grasp what's going on, but he can no longer recall anything. He grasps at what used to be his thoughts, trying to piece together who he is, or what he's doing.

A boot comes crashing down on his chest. He cries out loudly in pain and looks up at his assailant. His eyes go wide with fear at the sight of the white mask and he begins to recall memories from just a few minutes ago that seem like an entirely different life.

The man sneers down at him viciously, "It's time for you to die, _hero_."

Tears flood Neville's eyes as the man levels his wand at him.

"_AVADA KEDAVRA!"_


End file.
